Solace Women's Aid Court Support Volunteers

About Solace Women's Aid

Solace Women’s Aid offers free advice and support to women and children in London to build safe and strong lives. Futures free from male abuse and violence.

Solace exists to end the harm done through gender-based violence. Our aim is to work to prevent violence and abuse as well as providing services to meet the individual needs of survivors particularly women and children. Our work is holistic and empowering, working alongside survivors to achieve independent lives free from abuse. 

Solace has an inclusive definition of women including trans women. Our services seek to support and represent trans women and non-binary people. We understand that trans women and non-binary people are affected by misogyny and the patriarchal frameworks that cause harm to cis women and girls. 

Values

Solace core values reflect our history and were developed in consultation with staff and service users. We are working to be:

– Feminist and intersectional in our understanding of male violence against women and girls (MVAWG)

– Survivor led, trauma informed and empowering 

– Diverse, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory to create a fully inclusive environment for staff and service users

We are committed to: 

– Social justice and human rights 

– Service users having a central voice within the organisation 

– Working in collaboration with other agencies

– Continuous improvement 

Impact of Solace Women's aid (2022/2023)

We work tirelessly to ensure that every woman and child can live safe lives, free from violence and abuse. 

• Our work touched the lives of 22,254 people
• We supported 13,361 adults and children in our frontline services
• We worked with 7,893 people in our prevention services
• Solace runs 22 refuges with space for 178 rooms for women and children
• 93% rated there was a continued need for Solace services
• 88% of service users rated Solace services as excellent or good
• 91% of service users said they found it easy or very easy to make initial contact with our services
• Our Accommodation service supported 949 women
• We worked in partnership with 55 organisations across London
• We trained 2,898 people to recognise and respond to abuse
• Our volunteers gave 5,336 hours that made all the difference
• We raised an income of 15.2 million.

The Role

Attending court can be a daunting task for our service users who do not have friends or family to help them navigate what to expect in the absence of legal support. Having someone to encourage and help can make all the difference for our service users.

Court Support Volunteers will provide practical advice on court processes, and emotional support before, during and after a hearing.

Volunteers are not legal representatives but can:

• Provide moral support to service users
• May assist in taking notes
• Advise on court procedures
• Help with case papers

Volunteers cannot

• Act as a lawyer
• Manage the service users case outside court
• Address the court or examine witnesses
• Sign documents on behalf of SU’s

As per our Volunteer Policy we will reimburse reasonable travel and lunch expenses. Travel expenses will be reimbursed at a maximum of £20 a day travel card. Agreed lunch expenses up to a maximum of £5.00. These amounts will be reimbursed for those volunteering for over 6 hours in a single day.

You can find the full role description here: 

Benefits of the role 

As part of this role, you will have the opportunity to

• Contribute and support a busy and diverse team.
• Hands on experience in a dynamic charity working in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Sector.
• Work as part of a feminist organisation.

Time commitment

Volunteers will have the opportunity to contribute flexibly, with varying time commitments depending on when clients/service users have court dates. The program will not follow a strict schedule, due to the nature of the work. Instead, successful candidates will be part of a pool of students who may be contacted when a court date arises. If a volunteer is available at that time, they may participate. This project will be highly flexible, making it suitable for students with varying schedules. The frequency of students’ involvement will depend on court dates and the volunteer's availability.

The placement will conclude in July 2026, with an option for students to continue with the organisation should they wish to. 

Training

• Solace women's aid will deliver multiple training sessions on attending court with clients. These training sessions will cover court procedures, safeguarding, interacting with clients, GDPR, etc.
• Volunteers will be able to access Solace Women’s Aid’s induction and internal volunteer training programme. Full support will be given to help volunteers understand and carry out any aspect of the role as appropriate
• All students will receive the CAJ Mandatory Volunteer training, which covers data protection and confidentiality, working with vulnerable clients, professional conduct and regulation, self-care, and our expectations of CAJ volunteers.

More information on Solace Women's aid training can be found here: 

Pro Bono Skills Development Framework  

The Centre for Access to Justice now offers all students engaged in voluntary pro bono the opportunity to participate in the Pro Bono Skills Development Framework. This framework allows you to reflect on the skills gained during your placement, aligned with the Aurora Competence Framework. Completing it earns you a Certificate of Commitment to Pro Bono, acknowledging your dedication and skill development. Your participation will help you document and showcase the valuable competencies you've developed, however, please note that participation in the PBSDF scheme is entirely voluntary and will not affect your placement in any way.

Eligibility and How to Apply

Eligibility 

• This placement is open to 3rd/4th year LLB students, and LLM students
• Volunteers should be prepared to travel to various boroughs, particularly in North London.
• Volunteers should be able to attend training in November 2025.
• Due to the nature of this role and our partner organisation, this role is only open to 3/4th year LLB and LLM students who identify as women and/or non-binary.
• We welcome applications from women of all backgrounds and aim to have a recruitment process, and organisation, that is inclusive and accessible for all. 
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How to Apply

Please apply via the online application form.  

Applications close on October 29th, 11:59PM. Interviews will take place on November 11th 2025. 

When applying, please make sure you have completed the CAJ Equality and Diversity Monitoring Questionnaire. You only need to complete this once per academic year.  

Please note the Centre for Access to Justice strongly discourages use of artificial intelligence in applications. Use of content generated by artificial intelligence in your application may affect your chance of success. 

Should you have any questions, please contact Annika Melwani at annika.melwani@ucl.ac.uk. 

Key Information

How to Apply: online application form. 

When applying, please make sure you have completed the CAJ Equality and Diversity Monitoring Questionnaire. You only need to complete this once per academic year.  

Please note the Centre for Access to Justice strongly discourages use of artificial intelligence in applications. Use of content generated by artificial intelligence in your application may affect your chance of success.   

Deadline: October 29th, 11:59PM
Interviews: November 11th 2025. 

Eligibility: Due to the nature of this role and our partner organisation, this role is only open to 3/4th year LLB and LLM students who identify as women and/or non-binary.